The Birth of Evil 40
by KaitlynRose
Summary: Lucas is recovering, and Lawrence is practicing.


I do not own seaQuest or its characters.  I am not profiting from this story, it is for entertainment purposes only.

***WARNING***:  This story is slightly sick and twisted.  Actually it's pretty sick and twisted.  There is a murder described in graphic detail and if you are sensitive to this type of thing then do NOT read this.  This story is basically telling the tale of how a serial killer comes to be.  I'm not a shrink so I may not have described it accurately.  This is one of those times where I'm putting to use all those years I've watched Law & Order and the reading of James Paterson, Sue Grafton, and Sidney Sheldon.

THIS STORY IS RATED NC-17 DUE TO THE VIOLENCE AND THE GROSS FACTOR.

The Birth of Evil

By Kaitlyn Rose

Lucas was so bored.  He couldn't wait to go back to seaQuest in two days.  He was sick of listening to book tapes, and though they were much better than they had been when he was first hurt, he still saw the world through blurry eyes.  He could now tell Mom and Dad apart by looking at them easily enough, but words on a computer screen was still hopeless so he couldn't use Duncan's computers.  He could listen to the tv but he couldn't really see the picture so that really wasn't any fun either.

He was allowed to go outside but he wasn't allowed to go to far from the house for fear of him coming into contact with the electrical fences, so he was pretty much limited to the deck.  Basically there was 'nothing' for him to do.  As bored as he was though, he made a point of not whining about it.  After all, he was still alive, which was more than could be said for Joey.

He was still upset that he had been prevented from going to Joey's funeral, especially after finding out that this guy who was after him probably wasn't even in Hawaii anymore.  But Mom, Dad, and even Duncan said that is better not to tempt fate.  Yesterday had been a really hard day for him to get through.  He had listened to the news hoping to hear something about the boy and sure enough the news talked about him and his funeral, along with the bizarre circumstances surrounding the killing.

The police had been to Duncan's house now three times.  Dad and Duncan were helping as much as they could.  They had given the police copies of all the photos of the man they suspected along with copies of all of the e-mails sent to Lucas.  The police fully agreed that the person after Lucas had killed the boy at the lodge.  The photos were being sent to law enforcement agencies across the states and to England, but the pictures weren't being released to the press for fear of him changing his appearance should he find out that his picture had been taken.

Lucas really prayed that the man was caught before the wedding.  Lucas had been crushed to find out that that was when this guy would most likely strike again.  It wasn't fair.  What should be one of the happiest times in his life along with Mom and Dad had become an event for him to actually dread now.

Kristin had actually wanted to cancel the fancy wedding and just get married at the justice of the peace but Dad managed to convince her that arrangements could be made to keep them all safe.  She reluctantly agreed to go through with the wedding but she insisted on knowing about everything that was going on, every precaution, every plan, and even the back up plans.  

He hoped the wedding would go off without a hitch.  Somehow though, he just knew better.

_____________________

Lawrence was looking at the picture of the boy he had killed a few days ago.  He had downloaded the picture from the Honolulu Times.  The kid really did look like Lucas, just a bit younger.   Lawrence remembered how shocked he had felt when he realized he had killed the wrong kid, but he also remembered the sense of power and euphoria to when he had thought it was Lucas.  

He couldn't believe he would have to wait an entire month before he had the chance to go after Lucas again.  He looked at his watch.  It was nine pm. but he wasn't tired enough to go to bed.  Instead he put on his coat and left his hotel room.  He was just locking the door when he went back into his room to fetch something.  He picked up two items and slipped them into his coat pockets.  Then he left the room once again and walked outside into the cold New York night.

_________________

Lucas was sitting in the sofa listening to the tv when there was a knock at the door.  He sighed, figuring it was the cops once again.  He heard Dad opening the door and letting someone into the house.  Lucas really didn't want to talk to the police again, and he didn't want to hear what they had to say either.  He quickly walked to the patio door and stepped out onto the deck to be alone.

He sat on the lounge chair and closed his eyes.  He heard the patio door open and then suddenly he was being drenched with water.

"What the heck!!" Lucas gasped, sitting up in his chair.  He sat up so quick that he bonked himself in the head with his brace on his arm.

"Hey there kid," Ben said.  "You looked a little too comfortable sitting there."

"Ben!" Lucas practically shouted.  "What are you doing here?"

"I had to come see my best friend.  I've missed ya big time."

"Same here," Lucas said.  "What's the big idea throwing water on me though?"

"What?  You think just because your eyes are all fuzzy and you've got a broken arm that it means I can't mess with ya?  I don't think so!  You'll get no sympathy from me!  Meet my new toy.  It's the Water Blaster 5000."  Ben raised the giant water gun and proceeded to soak Lucas once again.

"Ben I am so going to get you!" Lucas shouted, standing up out of his chair.

"Oh yeah!  How?  You can't see me?" Ben teased.  

"That's what you think.  I can see enough to get you," Lucas replied, lunging at Ben.  Both fell to the floor and proceeded to roll around on the deck.  Lucas started to tickle Ben in his sides where he knew Ben was the most vulnerable.

"Oh you sneak, cut that out," Ben laughed.

"Say Uncle!" Lucas yelled.

"I'll give you uncle," Ben said.  He managed to roll over and pin Lucas down on the ground.  Ben sat on top of the boy.  "Ha!  Who's going to say Uncle now!"

"Ben, get off me!" Lucas said, trying to sound mad but failing miserably since he was laughing so hard.

"Oh, so you're not going to say uncle?  Well, let's see what we can do about that."  Ben started to tickle Lucas' sides.

"Ben cut that out!" Lucas laughed.  He began to squirm with all his might trying to break free but with his one arm in a brace he couldn't really get in a position to throw Ben off of him.  

"Oh no, you aren't going anywhere until you say uncle," Ben said, still tickling Lucas.

"Nathan, don't let Ben hurt him," Kristin said.

"They're fine," Nathan said.  They were watching their antics from inside the house.

"Ben stop!!" Lucas said.  He was now laughing so hard he was crying.

Ben's response was to intensify his tickling.  Lucas' sides were killing him from laughing and he was afraid that much more and he'd pee his pants.

"Okay!  Uncle!  Uncle!" Lucas squealed.  

Ben stopped tickling Lucas and got off of him.  Lucas was about to get up when his hand came to rest on Ben's new squirt gun.  He quickly grabbed it and aimed at Ben.

"Kid you wouldn't dare!" Ben warned.

Lucas grinned mischievously and let Ben have it.  Lucas stopped when he heard laughing from the patio door.  Both Dad and Duncan were standing there.  Lucas had a great idea.  He quickly turned the water gun and blasted his Dad and Duncan too!

"Lucas!" Nathan yelled, but Lucas could hear the laughter in his voice so he knew he wasn't in trouble…he hoped.  "Well, if you two children are finished why don't you come on in and have lunch before you both end up in time out."

Both Lucas and Ben started laughing.

"Come on kid," Ben said.  "Katie and I brought real food.  Burgers, fries, milk shakes, and since I know you love them, corn dogs."

"Awesome!" Lucas said, excepting Ben's hand up off the ground.  They hurried inside to eat while the food was still hot.  Lucas was almost glad he couldn't see the disapproving look that was most surely on Mom's face.  There was enough grease, salt, and sugar on the table to kill an elephant, and every man in the house was pigging out on it while Mom and Katie nibbled on salads.

"What?" Nathan asked when he saw Kristin give him a disproving look as he reached for a second order of fries.  Kristin simply rolled her eyes.

"After lunch I brought a game we can play," Ben said.  "Since you can't see the pictures I figured Dirty Pictionary was out so I got Trivial Pursuit instead.  You don't need to see to play that one, just listen to the questions."

"Great," Lucas said while shoving fries in his mouth and quickly downing them with his chocolate shake.

"Slow down Lucas or you'll get brain freeze," Katie teased, getting a chuckle out of everyone, including Lucas.

"So what are you guys doing here anyways?" Lucas asked.

"The Captain called us up and invited us over," Ben said.  

Lucas smiled.  He was glad Ben had come.  He definitely wasn't bored anymore.

Kristin smiled.  She was glad to see Lucas so happy.  This was the first time she had seen Lucas carefree since the attack.

"Why don't you set up the game," Kristin said.  "I'll take care of the mess."

"I'll help," Katie offered.  Both women stood up and began to clear away the trash as Lucas and the men headed to the living room to set up the game.

Once they were alone Kristin said, "Thank you so much for coming.  This was exactly what Lucas needed.  He's been so depressed and upset this week that I was beginning to think that I'd never see him smile again."

"It was no problem," Katie said.  "Truth of the matter is Ben's been missing Lucas big time.  I knew the two were close but I wasn't aware of just how close they've grown on each other.  Ben was shocked to find out you guys had left the dorm just like that."

"I'm sorry we left so suddenly but it was necessary.  Nathan wanted Ben to come but I told him that maybe he should leave Ben alone."

"Oh God," Katie said.  "Does he know about Ben and I…that we are…um…you know?"

Kristin laughed.  "Yes, he knows, and he's happy for the two of you.  Don't worry though, no one else knows unless you've told them."

"We haven't told anyone just yet.  We're sort of taking this one-day at a time.  Our main concern is not getting separated.  You know the military policy about on board romances.  If the UEO finds out they'll pull one of us off of seaQuest."

"Don't worry," Kristin said.  "Nathan won't let the two of you get separated," Kristin said.  "He's actually happy for the two of you, and he would never do anything to risk Lucas losing his best friend.  You'll never know how hard he worked to convince Ben to stay on seaQuest, and to make the crew realize just how valuable Ben was to the boat."

"You mean the Captain arranged for "Tex" to be put there on purpose?" Katie asked.

Kristin smirked.  "Don't tell Nathan or Ben that I told you, but yes he did."

"Wow, I never knew he could be so sneaky," Katie grinned.  "I'm glad he did it though, or I probably would have lost him forever."

"Hey!  Are you two coming?" Lucas called, poking his head into the kitchen.  "The game is all set up.  We have to make teams."

"We're coming," Kristin said.  "Just a minute."

"Okay, hurry up," Lucas said, turning around and heading back to the living room.

_________________________

Lawrence walked along the streets of New York hiding in the shadows, looking…looking for something that he almost wished he wouldn't find, but yet he wanted to find it.  He wanted to find it very much.

He entered a less than affluent neighborhood and put his hand into his pocket to reassure himself that he was safe here.  It was going on ten thirty and all the whores were out selling their bodies to anyone willing to pay the price.  He looked at the women but didn't really study them in detail.  He wasn't here for a hooker.  No, he needed to satisfy a much deeper need.  He saw a group of kids walking along and studied them.  No.  None of them would do.

He continued to walk along.  This wasn't the place where he was going to find what he was looking for.  He stopped at the corner and flagged down a taxi.

"Where to?" the cabbie asked.

"I need to go to an arcade, preferably one in a better neighborhood.  I'm new here and I'm lost."

"Yeah, whatever," the cabbie said.  "I'll take you to Gizmos.  It's a nice place.  The kids like to hang out there."

"Perfect," Lawrence said.

_______________________

"Photosynthesis," Lucas said.

"That's right," Kristin said.

"Cool," Ben said.  "We've got another piece to our pie."

"Yes, but your still losing," Nathan pointed out.

"We've still got time to beat you," Lucas said.

"At least you aren't in last place," Katie said.  

They had paired off for teams.  Katie and Duncan, Ben and Lucas, Nathan and Kristin.  Ben had thought his team would be a sure bet to win with Lucas but he quickly learned that even though Lucas was smart, he didn't know anything about sports or arts and entertainment.  It didn't help that between Bridger and Kristin's knowledge of science and history they were matching Lucas question for question.

"I never knew a game of Trivial Pursuit could last for over two hours," Duncan said.

"You've never played against these people," Ben smirked, pointing at Lucas, Nathan, and Kristin.

"Just what exactly does that mean?" Kristin asked.

"Just that none of you are the type to just stop," Ben said.  

"He's calling us stubborn," Lucas said.

"Oh just roll the dice," Katie said.  "Kristin it's your turn."

Kristin picked up the die and gave it a toss.  Nathan moved their piece over three spots.

____________________

Lawrence stepped into the arcade and smiled.  He was positive he would find what he was looking for here.  He began to walk through the arcade, searching each face.  He saw several possibilities but they just weren't right.  This was too important to settle for second best.

He decided to just have a seat and take his time.  He knew if he were patient it would come to him.  His patience was rewarding when twenty minutes later he saw it.  It was perfect.  He watched it closely waiting for the perfect opportunity.  

The boy was with a couple of friends.  Somehow he would have to get him separated from them.  He stood up to follow the three teens when he saw them start to walk away from him.  Now that he had the perfect prey within his grasp he couldn't lose it.  He looked around looking for all of the emergency exits and the regular exits.  He would need to know the best way of getting his son out of the building without detection.

He smiled when he saw the perfect opportunity arise.  The two kids with his son went into the bathroom leaving Lucas all alone.  He quickly walked up to the boy from behind.  He grabbed the kid by the back of the shirt and shoved the tip of his gun into the kids back.

"Don't make a sound or so help me god I'll put a bullet in your back.  Even if you call for help you'll be dead before anyone even notices."

Lawrence smiled as he felt the boy go stiff in his grasp.

"Now start walking to the door and don't even think of drawing attention to yourself."

The boy nodded and started to walk.  Lawrence made sure to never let the tip of the gun break contact with the boy's back.  Lucas needed to understand that he was in control here.

They exited the arcade.  "Go left," Lawrence said.  The boy quickly complied with his demands.  Lawrence steered the boy into the alley.  They went down to the end of the alley, which stopped in a dead end.  Lawrence smiled when he saw that the building at the end was under construction and therefore currently empty of all people.  He would have total privacy.

"Let's go," Lawrence said, giving the boy a little shove.

"Please, why are you doing this?" the boy asked.

"Because I have to teach you a lesson.  Lucas you were a bad boy.  You never should have talked about family matters."

"Lucas?  Who's Lucas?  M-my name is P-Patrick," the boy stammered.

Lawrence smiled at that.  "Lucas, Lucas.  You always were a lousy liar."

"No!  No really.  I'm not Lucas.  My name is Patrick.  Patrick Keenen.  If this is about money, my parents really don't have that much."

"SHUT UP!!" Lawrence screamed.  "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"  Lawrence lifted the gun into the air and then struck the boy on the side of his head.  The boy fell to the ground in the alley unconscious.  Lawrence quickly hoisted the boy over his shoulder and carried him into the construction site.

He grinned when he saw a thick sheet of plywood lying on top of two sawhorses making an impromptu table.  He deposited the boy onto the table and then put on a pair of surgical gloves.  He spied a long extension cord lying in the floor next to some power tools.  He grabbed the cord and went about tying the boy to the table so he couldn't resist what Lawrence was about to do to him.  Once the boy was secure he went about looking for some tape.  Surely he would find some around here somewhere.  

He would have to remember to be more prepared next time.  He really hadn't planned this well.  He hadn't brought anything to tie Lucas up with and he didn't bring a gag for him.  Honestly, this could have been a disaster if he hadn't happened upon the construction site.  He had to search for about five minutes before he finally found a beat up roll of duct tape.

He walked back to Lucas who was still unconscious.  He would have to wait for the boy to wake up.  It wouldn't be any fun otherwise.  At least he remembered to bring his digital camera.  He snapped a few pictures of the boy, then he gagged him and took a few more.  Lawrence began to tap lightly on the boy's face to wake him.

After a minute the boy's eyes popped open and as soon as they focused he began to struggle and pull at his bonds.  He was shaking his head back and forth and trying desperately to talk.

"Oh that's wonderful," Lawrence said as he took some more pictures.  He made sure to zoom in on the boy's terrified face.  Lawrence put the camera down and looked at the boy.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do this Lucas.  All those days in prison I dreamed of this one moment.  The moment when your life would be in my hands once again.  You were bad, and now I'm going to punish you."  Lawrence reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a long hunting knife.

The boy's eyes went wide at the sight of the knife and his struggles intensified as did his attempts to cry out for help.  Lawrence watched as the tears began to fall down the boy's face.  Lawrence began to lightly glide the tip of the knife over the boy's clothes, teasing him with fear.  The boy was sobbing now but the gag was making it difficult for him.  His eyes begged Lawrence not to do it.

Lawrence ripped the boy's shirt open with the long knife exposing his bare chest and stomach.  The boy wasn't wearing his coat because Lawrence hadn't given him the chance to retrieve it before they stepped out into the cold night air.

Lawrence ran his hand over the boy's young smooth skin.  He watched as the boy tried to jerk away from his touch.  Lawrence raised the knife and put the tip on the boy's abdomen.  He saw the boy staring at his every move, waiting to see what was going to happen next.

Lawrence suddenly plunged the knife into the boy's abdomen.  The boy bucked from the pain.  Lawrence quickly picked up his camera and began to take pictures of the boy with the knife still in him.  Blood was quickly seeping out of the wound.  Lawrence had to stop and change the disk in his camera before he could continue.

Once that was done he put the camera down once again and then pulled the knife out of the boy.  Again the boy bucked from the pain but it was clearly noticeable that the boy's struggles were weakening.  Lawrence began to cut the boy open, starting from the puncture wound he had already made and going up the boy's stomach.  The pain was intense and Lawrence saw the boy's eyes starting to roll up into his head.

He removed the tape from the boy's mouth and began to take more pictures.  The kid didn't try to scream or call out for help.  His breathing was labored and Lawrence was pretty sure that he was losing contact with reality.  Blood poured from the large open wound in the boy.  There was so much blood.

He stopped taking pictures so that he could concentrate on listening to the boy's final breaths.  He leaned in close so he could really hear them as they grew fainter and fainter.  How he wished he had brought a tape recorder.  This was a moment he wanted to remember forever.

"mama…" the boy whispered with his dying breath.  Lawrence had been surprised at that.  He wouldn't have thought it possible for the boy to speak just before he died.  It was kind of sweet actually.  The boy had wanted his Mommy.  Unfortunately this boy would never see his Mommy ever again.

He took a few more pictures, filling up his second disk.  He popped in a third one so he could document what he was about to do next.  He had told Lucas he was going to remove his insides, and that was exactly what he was going to do.  He would leave the organs here, but the eyes.  The eyes he would keep.

______________________

  "Do you have to go?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, I'm afraid we do," Ben said.  "But don't worry, I'll see you in two days.  They were draining your room on seaQuest today but it still has to dry out and they have to clear it of debris."

"I wish you could stay," Lucas said.  

"I know, me too kid.  You take care."

"I will," Lucas said.  He walked outside with Ben and Katie to their car.  Mom and Dad also walked out with them.

"Thank you for coming," Nathan said to them.

"It was fun," Katie said.  "Everyone misses you and can't wait for you to get back."

"Well we'll be there soon.  I appreciate you and Jonathon overseeing the repairs.  I know my leaving put a big burden on you two."

"Are you kidding?" Katie smirked.  "Jonathon is having the time of his life.  He's turned into a little dictator, and he's a very good one too.  Repairs are ahead of schedule."

Nathan laughed.  "I'm glad everything is going well.  Jonathon may be stern but he's a good man."

"Drive safely," Kristin said to them as they got in the car and waved good-bye.

Nathan slung an arm over Lucas' shoulder.  "So did you have fun today?"

"Yeah, it was great seeing Ben again.  The food was good too.  Mom always makes us eat healthy stuff."

"What was that?" Kristin asked, a smile on her face.

"Uh, nothing," Lucas replied.

"Nathan," Duncan called.  "You have a call.  It's Secretary Noyce."

"Oh good.  I've been waiting for his call," Nathan said, hurrying into the house.

He headed straight for the vid-phone.  "Hi Bill."

"Hello Nathan," Bill replied.  "I called as soon as I got your message.  I heard about Lucas.  How is he?"

"He's improving daily," Nathan said.  "I need some information if you can help me."

"What?" Bill asked.

"I need to know what Pulaski is working on.  It's very important."

"You mean you haven't heard?"

"Heard what?" Nathan asked.

"Nathan, General Pulaski was murdered.  His body was found three weeks ago.  He had been stabbed in the heart."

Nathan was shocked.  "Do they know who did it?"

"No.  Everyone is baffled.  The investigation is at a complete stand still."

"Well what was he working on before he died?" Nathan asked.

"I wish I knew.  I've been told that it's classified."

"You're the Secretary General," Nathan said.  "How can it be classified from you?"

"I've sense found out that Pulaski was not only a General for the UEO, but also a Section Seven agent.  I get the feeling that he was a pretty high ranking one too.  I think the reason Section Seven said it was classified is because truthfully they don't know what he was up to just before he died.  It's my understanding that they are also investigating his murder and they have found nothing themselves."

"I feel like I just stepped into the twilight zone," Nathan said.

"Tell me about it," Bill said.  "I knew that man for ten years and never suspected a thing.  I couldn't stand him, but it was because I thought he was an asshole."

"Tell me about it.  The reason for my call is because we were actually investigating whether Pulaski could have anything to do with what is happening to Lucas and me.  It's no secret the man hated us."

"I'm afraid that what ever he was up too died with him," Bill said.

"Well I guess I'll let you go.  Thanks for the information," Nathan said.

"No problem.  Tell Lucas and Kristin I said hello."

"Will do."  Nathan cut the connection and looked back to see the other three occupants of the house standing there listening to his call.

"Well, I guess we can rule Pulaski out as a suspect.  If he's been dead for three weeks then he couldn't be behind this."

"Dad, he died right before the conference we attended," Lucas said, doing the math in his head.  "About a week after Lawrence died."

"So what are you saying?" Nathan asked.

"I don't know," Lucas said.  "I guess I'm just making an observation.  Everything just seems pretty coincidental."

"Yes it does," Nathan said, "but we still need to figure out the link between all these things."

"Maybe there isn't a link," Kristin said.  "The guy in that photo might have nothing to do with Pulaski…or Wolenczak."

"No, I can't help but think that Lucas is right.  There is a connection somewhere, I just don't know what it is yet," Nathan said.

"Well, I think we should leave this topic alone for the rest of today," Kristin said.  "It's been a nice day and I don't think we should spoil it now with this."

"You're right," Nathan said.  "Lucas I don't know about you, but I could go for another corn dog.  There's a couple more in the kitchen.  Sound good to you?"

"Sure," Lucas said, forcing a smile for his parents.

"Good.  I'm also ready to sit back and watch some tv.  Hopefully a good movie is coming on tonight," Nathan said, trying to lighten the mood again.

"I have a pretty good selection of movies," Duncan said.  "So if nothing good is coming on you can watch one of mine."

"Great," Nathan said.

______________________

Lawrence woke up early the next morning in his hotel room.  He had cleaned up and showered the night before.  He turned on the tv hoping to hear of his accomplishment on the news.  He pulled out his disks and quickly popped the first one into his laptop so he could view his handy work.

He was amazed and thrilled by what he had done the night before.  He wasn't sure if he would have been able to actually go through with it, but he had, and it had been incredible.  He couldn't ever remember feeling so powerful and in control.  Even with all the mistakes he had made in his lack of preparation he had still been in control during the entire process.

The pictures loaded into his computer and he looked at them happily.  There was a knock on his door.  He quickly turned his monitor off on his computer and went to the door.

"Who is it?"

"Ace."

Lawrence opened the door and let a better-dressed and clean cut looking Ace into his room.

"I brought you coffee," Ace said.  "So what is the plan today?"

"The plan is we start figuring out how to get Lucas away from his body guards in England.  Bridger will have the boy protected from every angle.  We have to find one that he missed."

"Well one of the easiest ways is to impersonate the help."

"No, they'll think of that," Lawrence said.  "They will be on the look out for any Americans working that day."

"Well, we could shoot him," Ace said.  "Find a good place in the church or the hall to position ourselves and then take him out as soon as the opportunity arises."

"No, he can't be shot.  We need to take him alive," Lawrence said.

"Why?  I thought you wanted him dead?" Ace asked.

"I do, but I want to kill him my way," Lawrence said.

"And just what exactly is your way?" Ace asked.

Lawrence smiled.  "You want to know my way?"  Lawrence flicked his monitor back on and moved away so Ace could get a good look at his photography.

"You…you did this?  You killed this kid?" Ace asked.

Lawrence didn't have to answer.  Just then the news began to explain that they had a breaking story, that a fourteen-year-old teen-age boy had been found brutally slain at a construction site.  The newswoman reported that the boy's internal organs had been removed from his body and laid out on display.  The news reported that the boy's identity had yet to be released by the police.

"His name is Patrick Keenen," Lawrence said.

"You did that?" Ace asked again.

"I did," Lawrence said.  "Is that going to be a problem for you?  Do I need to hire someone else to do this job?"

"No!" Ace said, standing up away from the computer.  "What do I care if you get off on butchering kids?  As long as I get paid you can do whatever the hell you want.  I was just a bit surprised is all.  Five years ago you weren't the type who got his hands dirty."

"I'm not exactly the man I used to be," Lawrence said.

"So I've noticed," Ace replied.

______________________

Lucas woke suddenly.  It was still the middle of the night in Hawaii.  His heart was racing.  He obviously had a bad dream but he couldn't remember what it had been about.  That was probably for he best.  It would be easier for him to fall back asleep if he didn't have to have the images plaguing him for the rest of the night.

He reached over and turned on his bedside lamp.  It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light.  He was surprised to see that his eyes were working.  He could see at last.  He was surprised that they had fixed themselves just like that.  He was so excited that he jumped up out of bed and ran down the hall to his parent's room.

"Mom!  Dad!" Lucas said, throwing the door open.

"What?!" Nathan gasped, sitting up in bed.  "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong!" Lucas said.  "I can see again!"

"That's wonderful," Kristin said, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

Nathan turned on the lamp and Lucas walked over to the bed and had a seat.

"I woke up, I had a dream I think, and then I turned on the light and I could see.  Just like that."

"The swelling went down freeing up the optic nerve," Kristin said.  She walked over to her bag and pulled out her light to check for herself.

Lucas sat patiently as Mom fussed over him.  "It seems you're back to normal."  Lucas smiled happily.

"Well, what do you say you head on back to bed," Nathan said.

"Dad, you've got to be kidding?" Lucas said.  "I haven't been able to see for a week and then when I can finally see again you tell me to go close my eyes.  I don't think so!  I have to get on the computer and check my e-mails, and then I'm going to watch tv, and then…"

"Lucas, go to bed," Nathan said.  "We are going back to seaQuest tomorrow and there are a millions things we have to do, so go back to bed."  Nathan was tired but not so tired that he failed to notice the big smile on Kristin's face.

"Fine!" Lucas said.  "I've only been blind for a week, but what they hey," he mumbled under his breath.

"I heard that," Nathan said, shutting off the lamp.

Lucas closed his parent's door but he had no intention of going to bed.  Hell no!  He quietly tiptoed over to Duncan's computer and turned it on.  He made sure to turn off the sound so Mom and Dad wouldn't hear him.

The computer booted up and he spent he next hour and a half reading all his e-mails and replying to them.  God it felt great to be on a computer again.    Once that was done he went to Computer City.com and began looking at all the new laptops they had for sell.  He looked for the very best ones.  He found one he liked and then began customizing it to what he would want.  He spent almost another hour doing that.  He printed out the specifications he wanted on his computer.  He panicked for a minute when the printer started working, sure that he was going to wake everyone in the house, but luckily everyone slept through it.

Finally he looked at all the speakers on line.  He found the Sound Master Pro ones he wanted.  He printed that page too.  They were expensive as heck but he really wanted them.  Hopefully Dad would still get them for him.

Lucas had been awake for most of the night now and he could feel his eyes drooping.  He still didn't want to go to sleep though.  He was just too happy to be his old self again.  Now he just needed to get the stupid brace off of his arm, but that was going to have to stay on for five more weeks.  Oh well.  He was surprisingly used to dealing with broken limbs.

_____________________

Lawrence was still staring at his pictures even two days later.  He still couldn't get over what he had done.  He wasn't surprised to find that he wanted to do it again.  He actually looked forward to doing it again.  It frustrated him that he couldn't take credit for his incredible handy work but he couldn't every well just tell the world he had murdered a child.  Correction, two children.

Suddenly he had an idea.  He could share his work after all.  Oh this was going to be too much fun.  He knew who would appreciate the time and care he put into it.

____________________

Nathan woke up early the next morning.  He needed to start getting things ready for the return to seaQuest.  He stepped out of his room and was about to enter the bathroom when he saw Lucas.  He shook his head.  Lucas was sound asleep lying across the keyboard to Duncan's computer.

So much for the boy going back to bed last night.  Great, he wanted to leave in two hours for seaQuest and here was Lucas passed out after probably having been awake all night.  Nathan walked over to the boy and stared at him.  His neck began to hurt just looking at the position the boy was sleeping in.  

Nathan saw the papers in the printer and picked them up to look at them.  He grinned.  Yep, Lucas was definitely back to normal.  He saw the price of the speakers Lucas wanted and actually did a double take.  They were twice as expensive as the laptop he wanted.  The bill for the two items Lucas wanted was over ten thousand dollars.  Good grief!

"Lucas, wake up," Nathan said, lightly shaking the boy's shoulder.

"Mmph," Lucas said.

"Lucas, come on, you need to lie down on your bed for a bit."

"I'll get up later," Lucas said.  He rolled his head to the other side and Nathan smirked when he saw the indentation of the keyboard on Lucas' round cheek.

"For crying out loud," Nathan mumbled.  He gave up and just slipped his arms under the boy and hoisted him up out of his chair and carried him to his room where he deposited the boy on his bed.  He was surprised to see that all the covers were piled in the floor.  Then he realized that Lucas must have tossed them off the bed when he came charging into their room during the middle of the night.  Nathan picked up the blankets and the covered the boy with them.

"Dad," Lucas mumbled, rolling over in his sleep.

"You crazy kid," Nathan chuckled.  He stepped out of the room and headed for the shower.  He'd let Lucas rest for about an hour, but then he'd have to get up and start packing.


End file.
